The world today doesn’t make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?

Pablo Picasso

If a work of art is presented without context of the time, space or concept how would you interpret it? Will it speak to you the way the artist conceptualised it or would it take on a new significance? These are some of the questions that the month-long exhibition at CIMA Gallery raises.

Dubbed ‘Untitled’, The exhibition that opened on December 24 will be on till January 30.

This experimental exhibition showcases artworks by both iconic and contemporary artists that span decades, where an artwork from the 1940s shares space with an artwork from the present year. Some of the artworks have titles and dates, others are untitled and undated. But none of them have any concept notes to contextualise it.

“For this event we have passed on all the rights to the viewers. There is no concept paper for the exhibition or concept notes for the artworks. We want the viewer to experience and interpret the artworks in their own time, space and context,” said Rakhi Sarkar, director, CIMA Gallery.

‘Untitled’ brings out from private collections works by iconic artists like Jamini Roy, Sailoz Mookherjea and Ramkinkar Baij, which are on public display probably for the first time. And there are works by contemporary artists, a lot of which have been done in the past one year. “It will juxtapose the past with the contemporary, thereby giving the present a context. Or the viewer might experience it differently -- as the past being continuous,” said Sarkar.

'Landscape' (gouache on board) by Jamini Roy, undated.

The idea of the exhibition was born out of the experience of the past year that impacted our lives and showed us that many of the things that we thought were important might not have been important at all. “The idea is to let the viewers experience the artworks without imposing any ideas on them,” said Sarkar.

While some of the artworks showcased at the exhibition are a depiction of, or a reaction to, various crises, past and present, some are about the vision of life. Others are ambivalent. And while the dates of some of the artworks might tell a story, will a painting by Gopal Ghosh, titled Calcutta Killings, in 1941 hold the same significance today, or will it be relatable to circumstances around the country today?

“An exhibition like this will show the timelessness of an artwork and whether a piece of work is still valid today. It also is a test for the artist about whether they have succeeded in making their art speak to the world,” said Sarkar.

Apart from 76 artworks by 38 artists, the exhibition is also projecting words from Kalidasa to Margaret Atwood, Shakespeare to Maya Angelou and Rabindranath Tagore to Amitav Ghosh. Even the music that is playing at the venue has been curated in keeping with the idea of open interpretation.

“The exhibition cuts across all fields of art. There may be a difference in medium but they all deal with emotions, sentiments, reality and truth,” said Sarkar.

At the end of the visit, the viewer can title the exhibition, on a board at the venue, based on his or her experience.

“I love the name of the exhibition - ‘Untitled’. It opens up infinite possibilities and lends it a certain eclecticism. The viewer is given the freedom to interpret the artwork without imposing a context on them. This kind of multiple perspective only makes the art richer,” said artist Shreyasi Chatterjee, whose Kitchen Diary is part of the exhibition.

'Year 2020 - B' (acrylic and oil on canvas) by Samir Aich, 2020

Untitled (ink on paper) by Ramkinkar Baij, undated.

Trespasser – II (acrylic on canvas) by Sumitro Basak, 2006

Untitled – II (pen, ink and pastels on paper), by Jogen Chowdhury, 2006

A still from the video 'Hanu-man' ( 2019) by Anupam Basu.

Untitled (pen and ink on paper) by Jaya Ganguly, 2005.